The Stranger and the Beast - Retired
by AspiringArmstrong
Summary: Gaston's crumbled and broken body struggles to live as each breath brings him closer to the blackness of death. The Enchantress, whom originally cursed the beast, offers Gaston a similar chance at redemption for his pride. For Gaston, the price may have been too high. After years of living alone in the woods, he comes across a strong headed woman aptly nicknamed La Bette.
1. Chapter 1

The Stranger and The Beast

* * *

Author's Note:

Gaston's name comes from an old french byname Gasti, which can read as stranger or guest.

A Disney interactive CD-ROM confirms the name of the beast is indeed Prince Adam. (By the power of Greyskull!)

* * *

Chapter 1

Gaston lay broken and dying. Pain shot through his chest with each labored breath. The taste of copper flooded his mouth as the heavy rain washed over him. Through the blurred vision from rain or tears, he wasn't sure, he could see Belle on the balcony he fell. Her face wore a satisfied look.

Did she really despise him that much? The stab through his heart as she turned away to cry over that deformed monster hurt more than the fall. All he could do was close his eyes and struggle to breathe. He was Gaston! He will fight for each breath until his body gave out. All he had left was his memories, and he will cherish them until he passes on from this world.

"Why don't you just give up?" Said a voice. It was sweet sounding. There was a comfort to it, like a mother's voice. "You've all but lost."

"I…" Gaston sputtered and coughed up a mouthful of blood. "I still breath."

"Barely…" Said the voice.

"I refused to…" Gaston whispered.

"Why?" the soothing voice inquired.

Gaston managed to move his head to the voice and open his eyes. A woman had crouched next to him. His mind understood what he saw, but not even the best poets and artists in the world could transcribe the wonder he was looking at.

"Are you an angel sent from heaven?" He whispered. His hands couldn't stop trembling. He was so cold. He knew his time was up.

"I am many things, but not that." The woman chuckled. She laid her hand across his forehead and asked again. "Why do you still fight?"

Gaston's mind raced. He wanted revenge! He wanted to kill the beast and save Belle from him! He wanted to be the hero from her stories! He wanted… none of that. There was a dawning truth at what he wanted.

"Regret," Gaston whispered. "I… have regrets."

"Indeed." The woman said. Gaston turned his head, wincing at the pain. He could feel the back of his skull was shattered and could feel the bones grinding against each other. His arms and legs were more than broken, along with his spine and most of his ribs. He knew there was no coming back from this.

"Would you die with regrets, or live with them?" The woman asked with a sly smile on her face.

The world blurred and darkened. The smell of the rain was gone, and his body felt light. His breathing slowed and his hands and feet numb. Gaston could just let go and have it be over. Embrace the reaper and move on from this world.

"Live…" Gaston whispered. "I… want to live."

* * *

Belle sat in her garden with her book. Her mind off in whatever world she was reading about when screams from the castle broke her train of thought.

"La Bette! Get back here!" Cogsworth stammered. "That is an heirloom passed down from generations!"

Belle looked up as her daughter shot past her in a paper pirate hat and wielding a cutlass. She took a few wide swings at imaginary pirate and dove into the hedge, hiding from the exasperated butler.

"Cogsworth… she is but a child, let her run and laugh and play!" Lumiere chuckled and draped his arm around his stout friend.

"A child need discipline… she's ten now, she should be in boarding school, learning how to behave like a lady."

"And how does one behave like a lady?" Belle said. She had managed to sneak up behind the head of the household staff during his tirade.

Cogsworth jumped out of his skin, Lumiere fell to the floor laughing at his reaction.

"I umm.. Yes… well, I do believe." Cogsworth stammered as he stood and dusted off his clothes. Belle stared at him, expecting an answer with a smirk.

"Cogsworth…" a strong voice said from behind. her "Gabrielle is tutored by the best minds of the land. Why would you wish harm upon her poor mother and father by wishing her sent away?"

"I umm.. Yes, sir, no I don't mean to make it sound that way, it's just…" Cogsworth fidgeted with his pocket watch. "Just how things are normally done."

"I doubt anything around here is normal," Lumiere said and poked Cogsworth in the ribs with his elbow. "Besides sir, I think the foul pirate is hiding in the bushes behind me."

A giggle erupted from the bush.

"Please be careful, Adam," Belle said and patted her husband on his shoulder. "She almost took your hand off last time.

"A kiss from a beautiful princess is more than enough to protect me from such vile villainy." Prince Adam said and swept Belle into his arms. His deep blue eyes almost took her breath away as their lips met.

"Ewww!" screamed the bush. A small child erupted from it and ran giggling into the hedge maze, slicing off the head of a shrub giraffe before disappearing around the first corner.

Prince Adam set Belle back on her feet and drew his sword. Calling out a battle cry, he pursued his daughter into the garden hedge maze.

"All I wanted to do was finish my book," Belle said with a smile. "I'll take my breakfast in the library then… the garden is overrun by pirates."

"Yes Ma'am," Lumiere and Cogsworth said in unison.

Belle paused before entering her castle. Her eyes drawn to the woods surrounding the castle.

"Is there a problem?" Cogsworth asked.

"No… Just thought I saw something," Belle said.

* * *

Has it been so long?

Gaston crouched over a deer he had hunted. With his index finger, he drew a line down the belly of his kill and sliced through its thick hide with his four-inch claws.

His memories of the time he was a man slowly fade away. He saw faces, but putting names to them are harder every day.

He looked down at the spilled innards and pondered why he did that. With a shrug, he scooped up what spilled out and proceeded to eat. Some of the things he did must have been back when he was like them… human.

Once his snack was done, he picked up the deer carcass and carried it back to his cave. His cave had strewn bones and rotting animals littering the ground. Nothing about his cave shown he used to be a man, except for a silver mirror that hangs on a wall with a black cloth draped over it.

Gaston finished eating and stumbled to the mirror. Tearing off the cloth he stared at his monstrous form. His misshapen body looked as if parts of him grew too fast, and other parts not as much, or at all. The Beast looked to be an animal, and fearsome, but he looked like a walking nightmare.

"Show me my regrets!" Gaston screamed.

The mirror's image faded, and Lefou appeared. He watched his life as a man and all the things he had done to his friend, the one man who knew him better than any other. He watched all the times he had dismissed him as a joke or stolen a woman he fancied because Gaston thought it would be amusing.

Gaston spent the rest of the night watching the mirror, the last image was a wilted rose's last petal falling to the ground. The same rose that sat under a glass dome, next to his mirror, that laid completely wilted.


	2. Chapter 2

Gaston stalked his prey in the woods. This was another buck he had picked up the scent for. Part of his human hunter instincts led him to males, as to keep the population of the game from dwindling. The buck he was chasing was losing its rhythm. Gaston smiled to himself, knowing his prey was tiring. He could taste the delicious innards already and quickened his run.

He never knew how exhilarating it was to be an actual predator. He hunted and served in the war for many years and killed all manner of men and beasts, but to do so without a gun was more intoxicating that the strongest wine.

The buck drove through a bush and Gaston momentarily lost sight. Bristling with confidence, he charged down the same path and barreled through the same foliage as the deer. As he broke through the other side, a loud crack echoed around him.

His prey was splayed out in front of him, a tiny hole bleed out behind its shoulder blade. Gaston paused, fully visible in the clearing. He turned to the familiar sound of a musket cocking and saw the hunter.

The man clearly had wet himself and was trembling. The barrel shook all over, and the man took a gulp and tried to steady himself.

"Y...You cannnn have the deer… just… go away!" the man stammered.

Gaston knew that voice. He slowly moved forward, looking at the trembling man.

"La...fou?" Gaston asked. He hadn't spoken in years, and the words were foreign to him.

"How… do you know me, beast?" LaFou stammered.

"I… it's" Gaston wanted to erupt in laughter at the chance meeting of his dearest friend! He wanted to go to the pub and banter back and forth, chide his friend about his silliness and find out about his life.

Gaston saw the fear in his friend's eyes, he had no recognition of who he was, and to tell him would only cause him more pain. LaFou was settled down with his partner and had a life. Not something he wished to interfere with. It was best to just leave him.

Silently Gaston turned his back on the trembling man and trudged back to the dear. He hefted the carcass over his shoulder and looked back at his friend.

"Do not hunt around this part," Gaston said. Each word was forced from his deformed mouth, and he had to focus on each enunciation to make them intelligible. Turning away from his only friend, he disappeared into the woods, leaving a confused and terrified little man alone in the clearing.

"G… Gaston?"

* * *

Gaston threw the deer in a corner of his cave. His hands trembled and rage filled his mind. He let out a bellow that echoed down unexplored channels of his home. Grabbing the scattered bones and skulls of his kills, he broke them in half and crushed them with his bare hands. He raked the stone walls with his claws as he wailed in anguish

The vibrations of his rampage had shaken off the black drape over his mirror and he the misshapen monstrosity that he was. Patches of fur, and a twisted misshapen body that hunched. He was most comfortable on all fours, and could not stand straight if he wanted too.

He threw a skull at the mirror, and it only bounced off the glass. Many years ago, as the final petal fell, and his curse became permanent, he tried to destroy the mirror. It's enchantment endured years of abuse and damage.

He hated it. He hated himself. He hated the Enchantress. He hated the Beast. He hated Belle. He hated all of creation.

Gaston's rage subsided, and depression overwhelmed him. All he could do was slump under the mirror and roll into a ball. A blanket of fatigue washed over him, and his mind slipped into a slumber.

Gaston awoke to the warmth of a fire, and the smell of deer roasting on a spit. A familiar song was sung by his unwelcome guest

 _Mon amant me delaisse_

 _O gue vive la rose_

 _Je ne sais pas pourquioi_

 _Vive la rose et le lils_

 _Il va-t-en voir une autre_

 _O gue vive la rose_

 _Ne sais s'il reviendra_

 _Vive la rose et le lilas_

 _On dit qu'elle est tres belle_

 _O gue vive la rose_

 _Bien plus belle que moi_

 _Vive la rose et le lilas_

 _On dit qu'elle est malade_

 _O gue vive la rose_

 _Peut-etre elle en mourra_

 _Vive la rose et le lilas_

 _Si elle meurt dimanche_

 _O gue vive la rose_

 _Lundi on l'enterrera_

 _Vive la rose et le lilas_

 _Mardi reviendra me voir_

 _O gue vive la rose_

 _Mais je n'en voudrai pas_

 _Vive la rose et le lilas._

"You always were romantic," Gaston said after his friend finished the last verse.

"It's a silly song anyway. I left my accordion at home, so I can't sing it properly." LaFou chuckled and poked the fire.

"Why...are you here?" Gaston asked.

"Can't an old friend stop by unannounced after ten years?" Lafou asked as he twisted the spit.

"Leave… I'm no longer the man you knew." Gaston said and curled his knees to his chest.

"The man I knew was a monster," Lafou said. "This… is an improvement!"

With that, Lafou erupted in laughter and slapped his thighs. His merriment was contagious, as Gaston felt a smile creep across his lips.

"Come to the fire… eat the deer you poached from me." Lafou patted the space next to him and brandished a wineskin. "I have some brandy too!"

Gaston rolled over and begrudgingly took the seat that was offered. He grabbed the wineskin and fumbled with the opening, his hands were too big. Lafou put his hand on Gaston's to steady him.

"Let me help," Lafou said and quickly unfastened the lid. "At the hunting lodge, everyone talks about a monster in the woods. They think that the fairy who cursed Prince Adam, never really turned him back to a human, but he turns back to the beast at dusk."

"And what does the Prince say about that?" Gaston asked after swallowing a mouthful of brandy. He shook the wineskin and found it mostly gone. Lafou took it back and took a swig himself.

"I'll bring you a barrel next time." Lafou chuckled. "As for Prince Adam, he doesn't seem to care. He's too busy fawning over Gabrielle. She is a little beast if I ever saw one. Her nickname around town and at the castle is La Bette."

Gaston grumbled and reached for the rest of the carcass that Lafou hadn't butchered. With a twist, he separated the head from the body. He sat back down next to his friend and drove a claw into the eyes of the deer, aptly removing and consuming it.

Lafou watched wide-eyed as Gaston grabbed both sides of the head and cracked it in half like a walnut. He scooped out the brains and slurped half a hemisphere down in one gulp. Looking at an open-mouthed Lafou, he offered the uneaten half to him.

"I umm… am trying to cut down." Lafou said with a grin, his hand behind his head. Gaston turned away from Lafou and slurped down the remaining gray matter.

"Sorry…" Gaston said sheepishly.

"No, it's fine. It's not like the deer was using it anymore." Lafou chuckled and sliced off a large chunk from the roast. "So… do we need more witty banter or are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I… am tired," Gaston said. "The story is… long and talking is… difficult." Gaston said. He laid down and rolled over, turning his back to his friend."

"I can guess that the same fairy who cursed the castle, turned her vengeance upon you?" Lafou asked.

"Tomorrow…" Gaston said sleepily. "Come back tomorrow. It's all mixed up and I need to think of what is real… and what is madness."

"Okay… tomorrow then, my friend." Lafou said. Gaston felt a blanket draped over him, and heard the little man plod out of his cave. As he drifted off into slumber, Gaston resolved himself to move to a different cave, so Lafou could never find him again.

Yes… when he wakes up…

Gaston's mind drifted into a deep slumber.

* * *

Gaston swam back to consciousness to the sound of an accordion playing Viva la Rose and Lafou humming the tune. He opened one eye and peered out the cave entrance. It wasn't even noon. Why was he here, and so early?

"Never the early bird, eh Gaston?" Lafou chuckled.

Gaston pulled himself to a sitting position and rubbed his face.

"Why… are you here?" Gaston grumbled.

"You said to come tomorrow, so I did, and with gifts!" Lafou said, grinning ear to ear He pointed to one side of the cave. The carcasses and bones were cleaned away, and twelve barrels had been stacked in a pyramid.

"Some is brandy, others is wine," Lafou said with a saluted glass. He drank down his cup in one gulp and refilled it from his wineskin.

"Please… forget you found me." Gaston asked.

"I will never forget my best friend," Lafou said and took another drink.

"I… was not a good friend," Gaston muttered and grabbed the top barrel. He carried it under his arm and sat next to his accordion playing friend. Using his claws he wrenched off the lid and dunked his head into the wine. It was sweet and satisfying.

"I agree, you were a terrible person." Lafou said, "But… you were Gaston! It was alright that you were terrible. You meant well, and that's all there is to it. Everyone knew you had rocks in your head, so that was that."

"Lafou…" Gaston whispered, looking at his misshapen reflection in the wine.

"Please… my friend… tell me." Lafou asked, he rested his hand on Gaston's forearm, and gave him a pleading look. Gaston had a good look at his friend in the cascading light from the cave mouth. He had gained weight, and his hair was longer and gray. He had wrinkles on his face, that always make him look like he was smiling.

"I will, but first, I need to apologize. I waited too long to say this… and even if it won't help me, at least to you… I must say this." Gaston said. Lafou looked up at him wordlessly, allowing his friend to talk.

"I… regret," Gaston said softly. "I regret many things in my life before."

Gaston sat up straighter to steel his resolve.

"I regret how I treated you. How I teased you and made you look like a fool to everyone in town. I have done countless humiliating things to you and laughed at your expense." Gaston said. He couldn't bring himself to look at Lafou while he spoke. "I made your life terrible, and I'm sorry."

Gaston waited silently for an answer. He readied himself for Lafou to unleash years of anger and frustration at him. He was probably glad this had happened to him, what more fitting punishment than to wander the earth and immortal misshapen monstrosity.

"Brain full of rocks," Lafou said with a chuckle. "How many times have you saved my life? The rampaging boar? The war? I am all thumbs and bum. My parents named me Lafou simply because I could not even manage to suckle my mother without bumbling. You think you lead me to do my foolishness at my expense? I was foolish for your expense Gaston. I owe you my life several times over, and if my bumbling can make you laugh, well then, that is an easy enough price I would pay several times over to the man I love and admire… but, don't tell Mitch, he gets jealous."

Gaston looked down at his friend and grinned.

"There is that dashing smile that would make the triplets have to change their garments," Lafou said. "Now… tell me how this happened!"

"You… saw me slip on the roof and fall." Gaston said. Lafou nodded in agreement. "I… died, almost."

"You were right, it was the Enchantress." Gaston continued. "She came to me after her curse ended with the Beast. I laid there, fighting for each breath. I would not succumb to death unless it clawed my soul from my chest, and I couldn't fight anymore."

Lafou adjusted himself to a more comfortable spot and listened.

"She offered her magic to me and said I had indeed changed my ways. She would heal me, and allow me to make amends for my pride and arrogance." Gaston said.

"And, she changed you into this?" Lafou asked. "It's even worse than the Beast!"

"My body was broken and dying. Her magic didn't work the way it was supposed to." Gaston said regretfully. "She was more surprised than I was."

"So, she was going to curse you the same way as the beast, and what? Love's kiss or something to break it?" Lafou asked.

"No… nothing that simple." Gaston regretfully replied. "I… had to amend my wrongs and regrets."

Gaston pointed to the covered mirror at the back of his cave. Lafou grunted as he stood and walked over to the wall. Silently, he removed the black cloth covering the silver mirror. Gaston waved silently to the Mirror and the reflection became alive. It showed Gaston's life, and all the things he regretted in life.

"I see," Lafou said. "So, let's break the curse together! We can start with the villagers, and once word got out about your reform, I'm Sure Belle and Adam would have an audience with you!"

"It's impossible," Gaston said. Lafou looked to where his gnarled hand pointed too. His smiling demeanor fell to sympathy as he spied the wilted rose under glass.

"The same curse," Lafou said somberly. "And… you ran out of time."

"Yes, there is no redemption for me," Gaston said. "I will never walk with others. I am a monster in this forest. I will live forever, and children will fear me. I will be a story mothers tell their children in order to get them to behave."

"Gaston…" Lafou said with a sigh. He plopped down next to Gaston. "You have a head full of rocks… even now."

"What do you mean?" Gaston asked.

"You're still thinking of yourself."

* * *

Author's Note:

For those wondering about Viva La Rose, it was a popular folk song in the 1700's. When researching the song, I remember Lafou did play the hand accordion, and surely this would be something he would sing.

 _Whoop-dee-doo, long live the rose_

 _I do not know why_

 _Long live the rose and the lilacs_

 _He's going to see another_

 _Whoop-dee-doo, long live the rose_

 _Who is richer than me_

 _Long live the rose and the lilacs_

 _They say she is more beautiful_

 _Whoop-dee-doo, long live the rose_

 _I do not disagree_

 _Long live the rose and the lilacs_

 _They say that she is sick_

 _Whoop-dee-doo, long live the rose_

 _Perhaps she will die_

 _Long live the rose and the lilacs_

 _But if she dies on Sunday_

 _Whoop-dee-doo, long live the rose_

 _She's gonna be buried on Monday_

 _Long live the rose and the lilacs_

 _Tuesday, he'll come back to see me_

 _Whoop-dee-doo, long live the rose_

 _But I will not want him anymore_

 _Long live the rose and the lilacs_

I promise, Next chapter I'll write about La Bette


End file.
